1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to infant furniture. More particularly the invention concerns a padded hinge assembly for use in connection with foldable infant playyards.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In recent years, the public, as well as manufacturers of childrens furniture, have become acutely aware of the dangers presented by prior art furniture of the character adapted for use by infants and small children. Particularly dangerous is folding furniture which, of necessity, embodies hinge assemblies and like mechanical constructions for permitting pivotal movement of the component parts of the furniture. For example, in foldable playyards, to which the present invention is specifically directed, potentially dangerous hinge assemblies are used to permit folded of the supporting legs and the top rails of the unit from an erected configuration into a folded, transport configuration. To prevent injury to the infant placed in the playyard, these hinges are generally covered with a fabric or padding of some type which is held in place by fasteners the extremities of which protrude into the confines of the playyard. These fasteners have proven to be hazardous in that teething infants will frequently place their mouths over the ends of the fasteners. The infant then loses its balance and, upon falling, may break its teeth or cut its mouth or lips. Additionally, the ends of the fasteners can cause potentially serious bruises and cuts if the infant falls against the sides of the playyard.
It is the drawbacks of the prior art playyard designs of the character described in the preceding paragraphs which the present invention seeks to avoid. These drawbacks are uniquely overcome by providing a padded safety hinge arrangement in which inwardly protruding fasteners are completely covered by a padded covering. More particularly, the hinge construction of the present invention wherein the fasteners hold the padding in place and also function as the pivot pins about which the playyard legs pivot, the inwardly protruding extremities of the fasteners are completely covered. With this construction, an infant within the interior of the playyard enclosure is safeguarded from contacting the fasteners and should the infant fall against the hinge assembly it will only contact the smooth, padded covering which fully encapsulates the fasteners.